


Teach Me About Tomorrow

by gypsiangel



Series: Healing [4]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Hearing Damaged Percival Graves, M/M, Mentions child past child abuse, Minor wedding angst/anxiety, This makes me very happy to write!, Wedding Fluff, Wedding night shenanigans, last chapter is total wedding night porn, mentions alcoholic character, mostly happy fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2018-10-04 09:30:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10273793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gypsiangel/pseuds/gypsiangel
Summary: It was a wonderful day for a wedding.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaand here's the wedding! Omg, I love these boys, and I love writing this series. This is gonna be a four-part fic, the before the ceremony, the ceremony itself, the reception, then the wedding night. <3 Thank you to everyone still following this! I love you all so much it's crazy! Hope I don't disappoint. Cheers!

*~*~*

           You couldn’t have chosen a better day for a wedding. The afternoon sun was golden on the fields surrounding the Scamander family property, lighting up the gently rolling hills and bordering forest land. The hippogriffs were all put in their paddocks for the night, safely bedded down and away from the chaos of guests and all the excitement that came with it. Percival, in his formal black dress robes and expensive suit, sat perched on the top railing of one of the fences on the backside of the barn, overlooking the ever-green grasses of his soon to be husband’s childhood home.

            He wasn’t hiding. He’d challenge anyone who accused him of such. He was… he was… breathing. That’s it. He was taking a deep breath of clean air, and decidedly _not_ thinking about his mother and father sitting by themselves in the reserved seating set aside for the groom’s family. Of course, they weren’t the only ones sitting over there, but they had an entire row to themselves. Seraphina and her husband were in the front row, as was a very pregnant Queenie and a glowing Jacob. A good-sized delegation of his arurors were also there, but in the row behind his parents. He had wanted to make a point by not having them in the front row, but it would have been too obvious if he’d put them in the very back. Some of his aunts and uncles had accepted the invitation, gladly attending if only out of curiosity and the satisfaction of rubbing their presence in his mother’s sour face. Francis had alienated most of her blood family and all but a few of her friends. The only ones she could actually call ‘close’ were in it to say they were connected to the Graves name.

            His father just didn’t care as long as he had access to the open bar at the reception.

            He startled when he felt the vibration of someone kicking the fencepost he was sitting on. Hand on his wand just in case, he looked down at Theseus’s smirking face. _“You’d better not be getting cold feet there, Graves. I’d hate to have to hex the shite out of you on your wedding day.”_

Percival snorted and rolled his eyes. _“Not a chance, Scamander. You’re stuck with me, so you’d best get used to it.”_

            Theseus climbed up and balanced on the railing next to him. His sharp elbow nudged Percival gently, _“The tender’s been informed to only serve John butterbeer at the reception. No exceptions. It’ll be charmed to taste like whatever he’s ordering, so there won’t be a fuss.”_

Percival felt a surge of relief mixed with affection, some of the tightness easing out of his back. _“Thank you. He does carry a flask, but we can maneuver around that.”_ He rubbed at his face wearily and gave a bitter laugh, _“I wish I’d ignored Newt and just not invited them. For someone so oblivious to social constructs, he wasn’t willing to let me go back on a promise. It would be worth it to not see them at all.”_

            Theseus linked his arm through Percival’s and tugged on it just slightly. _“My brother has a code all his own, Percy, you know that. He doesn’t give a fig about what’s proper, but he does care about keeping promises.”_

 _“I know.”_ Percival wrestled with the words he wanted to say, his emotions high and a bit raw as he looked out over the peaceful scene. He didn’t deserve this, he thought. He didn’t deserve this deep friendship, this unconditional love from both Newt and his family. They’d accepted him so thoroughly that it didn’t seem like he’d ever _not_ been a part of them. They were eccentric and loud, colorful and warm; Theseus and Amelia running hot where Alexander and Newt were at a more moderate burn- most of the time. He had yet to know if Thea would carry after her Papa or him. He hoped for everyone’s sake that she was like Newt, that she could pick up that compassion and empathy that Percival himself struggled with. That she could see things with a hopeful light that had been so barren in his life for so long.

            Theseus tapped a finger on his chest, bringing Percival’s attention back to him. _“I can just about hear what you’re thinking, prat, and I’ve got to tell you that you’re just as barmy as my brother is if you think you don’t deserve him. He’s on about the same thing, you know. He’s off with Mum, hiding in with the hippogriffs. He’s afraid that you’ll come to your senses and decide you’ve made a huge mistake.”_

            Percival’s eyebrows lowered as he glared at his friend, who was now looking out over the fields with a serene expression, as if he hadn’t just casually dropped that on him. _“Why didn’t you tell me when you first got out here, ‘Seus!”_

 _“Hmn? What? Oh. Newt didn’t want me to come get you, some nonsense about keeping_ some _sort of tradition in this wedding.”_ He waved a nonchalant hand and hid a smirk when Percival swung back over to the other side of the fence and dropped down, muttering about asshole brothers and he couldn’t believe he chose Theseus to be his best man over Jacob. Theseus watched him stride toward the bigger barn, finally laughing as he took in the quiet before the storm of the ceremony. He’d known Percival too long not to know what buttons to push.

 *~*~*

            The barn was softly lit by magicked torches, the smell of animal, dirt, and hay was heavy in the air as Percival strode purposefully through the middle thoroughfare, not needing to search to know which paddock his intended was hiding in. Fido was the oldest hippogriff in Amelia’s herd, and the only one that had watched Newt grow up from an infant. He was nearing the end of his considerable lifetime, and Newt spent as much time as he possibly could with the animal when he was home. It was a source of comfort for him, to have the familiar warmth wrapped around him, that unconditional acceptance that he’d always searched for and came up lacking with humans.

            Right at the moment, Percival’s auburn haired fiancé was completely ignoring the fact that he was dressed to the nines in the expensive, tailored suit his mother had insisted on, and was huddled up, nearly hidden by the huge wings of his childhood guardian. Percival’s heart melted immediately at the sight of him, the warmth going through all the way to his fingers and toes. Amelia was also dressed impeccably, her mother-of-pearl lace inlaid dress completely ignored as she sat with her son, listening to his tearful rant with a patient and sympathetic ear, brushing her fingers through his messy curls.

            Percival didn’t know what they were saying, but he was smart enough to get the gist of it. Amelia’s smile was bittersweet when she looked up to see him. She murmured something to Newt as she pressed a kiss to his forehead and got up, caressing his chin gently. _“He’s convinced himself that you’re making a mistake in marrying him and it’s only a matter of time before you realize you could have someone much better,”_ Amelia signed sadly. She pressed a kiss to Percival’s cheek and looked him in the eyes directly, _“We all know it’s bullshit, but years of cruelty have convinced him it’s a possibility. Get it out of his head, darling, please? We have about an hour and a half before you need to be in your places.”_

            Percival nodded and tugged her in for a quick hug before letting her go. He cast a wandless dirt-repelling spell on his robes as he came closer, making sure to make eye-contact and acknowledge Fido before he made to touch. They’d done the greeting and acceptance thing when they’d first gotten there a couple weeks ago, and the hippogriff was slowly warming up to him. It helped that Percy was Newt’s, and what Newt loved, Fido loved. Right now, his favorite boy was hurting and instinctively Fido knew that Percival could make it better.

            As soon as Percival was close enough, a massive wing unfolded and pulled him in, cramming the older man in next to Newt against his flank. Percival could feel the contented rumble of the beast against his back as he pulled his soon to be husband into his lap and just held him for a couple minutes.

            _“This just proves my point,”_ Newt signed after a while, pulling back just enough to get his hands free. His face was tinged pink and eyes were red-rimmed as they stared at Percival’s collar. _“You shouldn’t have to crawl in with a bloody hippogriff on your wedding day to fish out your fiancé because he’s making a fool of himself.”_

            Percival tucked his fingers under Newt’s chin and raised it so they were making eye-contact. _“Theseus found me out in the pasture, thinking that I don’t deserve to have you in my life. I’m too cold, too broken and scarred. I’m too old for a beautiful young man with so much hope and daring. Your family… they welcomed me in despite my shortcomings. You have so much to offer, Newt, that I was wallowing in my own inadequacies. Theseus called me on my bullshit, just as I’m sure your mum was trying to do here.”_

            Newt opened his mouth to argue, but Percival stopped him by laying fingers across his lips. _“You know what snapped me out of that idiotic frame of mind? When your brother casually dropped that you were in here, hurting and doubting your place in my life. In that moment, it all snapped into place. This life we have, this life we’re building, is the most important to me. You and our daughter are the most beautiful things to ever have happened to me. I wouldn’t trade it, or you for the world. I love you, Newt. I love you more than you will ever know, and I’m the luckiest man alive because I have the privilege of taking you as my husband.”_

            Newt was blinking furiously against the tears welling up, and his lower lip was trembling as he threaded his fingers into the back of Percival’s carefully styled hair and brought their lips together. The kiss was achingly sweet and Percival fell into it gladly, adjusting his hands so that he was holding Newt’s face in his palms, breathing him in. When they broke apart, Newt was smiling, even if it was a bit shaky.

            _“I love you, Percival Graves.”_ He kissed the corner of Percy’s mouth again, lips lingering for a half-minute before pulling back again. _“I’m sorry for being enough of a tosser as to make you sit in the dirt on our wedding day.”_

Percival’s expression turned wicked as he adjusted him in his lap, moving so that Newt’s long legs were bracketing his hips. He felt a tug of arousal when Newt’s mouth went slack as he ground up just slightly. _“I’ll let you make it up to me tonight, sweetheart, don’t you worry about that.”_

            They both laughed when Fido snorted and bumped the back of Newt’s head with his beak, as if to remind him of where they were. _“Ever the babysitter.”_

 _“Are you ready to take me as your life-mate,”_ Newt asked seriously, biting his lower lip nervously. Percival kissed him again, lovingly running his tongue over the abused flesh.

            _“As long as you’re ready to take me as your neurotic, over-protective husband.”_

*~*~*


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy Hera, I am so sorry this took so long to update! This chapter is *super* short, but I wanted to get out what I had, mostly to prompt me to finish the damn thing. The method to my madness is... if I put something out after so long dormant, I feel obligated to work on it more. :D That said, *thank you* for being so patient, and for reading/loving this series. <3 A lot has changed in my life over the last year, and I think I'm stable enough now to return to my writing.

*~*~*

            Holding his new husband tight for their first dance together as newlyweds, Percival felt as if the entire world had spun down to only this one moment in time. Two bodies pressed close together, swaying more than dancing, to music that he couldn’t hear. At Amelia’s insistence, they’d practiced their first dance, but when it came time for it and Newt’s hand had slipped into his, and his fingers had splayed across the gentle dip just above that fascinating line where spine met backside, Percival had forgotten all of the careful choreography.

            Neither of them really cared, and while he figured they’d take some ribbing by his new mother-in-law, he knew that she really wouldn’t mind either. Thoughts of in-laws fled completely when Newt raised his face to look at him, their eyes locking in a rare prolonged stare. Golden green eyes were teary, and the emotion written clearly across his husband’s face made him inhale and lean in, capturing the gentle pout of lips. They breathed each other in, and he could feel Newt shiver against him. Running his tongue over his love’s lower lip, he felt as if the universe opened for him when he was let in to taste and tenderly explore.

            He felt shaky, cold fingers come up against the nape of his neck, and a hand fisted in his shirt under his dress robes. There was a rumble of a whine that sent shockwaves straight to his core. The kiss deepened and became more heated, the newlyweds losing themselves despite the substantial crowd around them. Newt was the first one to retreat, his face a fetching shade of crimson at what had to be catcalls and whoops from their friends and family. When Percival managed to tear his eyes away from his husband, he could see almost everyone smiling and clapping.

            _“Get a room!”_ Theseus signed, then mimed being sick. But his smile was wide, and he took the flute of champagne Tina offered him with one hand, resting the other one on her slim waist. Percival raised his eyebrow, and the other man shrugged before draining the glass, setting it on the table behind him, then cupped the surprised brunette’s face and planted a kiss right on her mouth.

            Tina stiffened and looked as if she were about to push away for half a second, then seemed to melt into the older Scamander, her hands coming up to hold his wrists tenderly. Newt laughed beside him, resting the side of his head against his temple, their arms entwined around each other’s backs. Percival knew he had never before been as happy as he was right at that moment in time.

            The party surged from there, Amelia coming in to claim her dance from Newt, and Alexander surprising Percival with an outstretched hand for a dance. Percy’s eyes were moist with emotion as he danced with his new father-in-law, knowing exactly why the retired auror had stepped up. His own parents were lost in the crowd, Francis no doubt sitting in a corner with disapproval etched all over her sour face, and his father was no doubt hounding the bartender for something stronger.

            _“None of that.”_ Alexander said, lifting Percival’s chin with the side of his index finger. His own smile deepened the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth, eerily reminiscent of his sons. There was understanding in the golden eyes as they searched Percy’s. _“There’s to be no frowns on your wedding day, son. I know Amelia has said it enough for the both of us, but I want to tell you myself. I couldn’t have chosen a better life-mate for my son if I’d tried. You are a good man, with a good moral compass and a fierce protective streak that both Amelia and I can appreciate. I don’t worry as much about our loose cannon knowing that he has you at his back.”_

            Percival didn’t know what to say, and his throat was too tight to attempt it anyway, so he just signed an emotional, _“Thank you.”_ And left it at that. Then with a wink, Alexander twirled him around and they really started dancing. Falling back on his childhood dance instructions, he was able to keep up by following the older man’s lead despite not hearing the music. The vibration of the bass through the floor was enough to know the tempo at least.

            After a turn around the floor with Queenie, then Theseus, Percival made his way out of the chaos of the dance floor. He stood on the edges for a few moments, just breathing and regaining his balance. He searched for his husband’s auburn mop of hair and realized a bit belatedly exactly how many gingers there were in attendance. His grin deepened when he saw the familiar lanky form being hurled around the other dancers by Theseus in one of the more… vigorous dance numbers. Newt wasn’t just keeping up, however, he had his head thrown back in a belly laugh as his brother slid their arms together and to the side.

            He looked for Thea then, searching for the dark head of curls. She was with Jacob at the moment, all of them deciding that they would take turns keeping track of the little one so she wouldn’t get overwhelmed in the crowd. When it was time for Percy and Newt to go for their wedding night, Amelia and Alexander had insisted on taking her for the night. It was a good thing, as with the amount of fire whiskey going around, Theseus wasn’t going to be much good as a babysitter. He melted a little, just like he always did when he saw the little girl. She was giggling, her face pink with delight as she was whirled around by the rotund baker in their own version of a dance on the sidelines. He felt so incredibly lucky to have been in the right time at the right place to bring her into their lives.

             The happiness of the evening dropped to icy levels as he started toward his daughter, intending to have a daddy/daughter dance of his own, only to have his own father step into his path. The sharply sour note of fire whiskey came off the older man in waves, and Percival bit back the automatic groan that threatened. He should have known that John would have found a way around the careful planning with the barkeep. Morgana knew that there was enough alcohol flowing around outside of the bar service, what with most of Newt’s more mischievous cousins bringing flasks of their homemade brew and his aurors conspiring with Theseus’s to ‘liven things up’ with their own concoctions.

            His father clapped a hand on his shoulder a bit too hard, making Percy widen his stance to avoid being knocked off balance. _“Fine party this is, son,”_ John said, or Percival thought it might have been. His face was turned a bit, and he looked like he was barely moving his mouth, mumbling in his intoxication. Suddenly that pit of shame and dread he usually felt when confronted with his father’s belligerent behavior transformed into a burning anger that made him clench his hands into fists. _“You know, I was worried that it’d be a frilly affair with you two…”_  Percival lost the thread of wherever his father was taking that line of bullshit when the man was jerked around and soundly clocked in the mouth by the last person he ever expected.

            Seraphina stood shaking her hand out and glaring down at the now half-conscious man. There wasn’t a hair out of place, only a sneer of distain on her pretty mouth. _“I’ve wanted to do that since our Ilvermorny days.”_ She looked up at Percival and grinned crookedly, turning to look over her shoulder at one of the more sober aurors. She jerked her head and the man nodded, nudging his partner, who both came to take care of the grim task.

            Seraphina stepped around the prone form and took Percival’s hands in hers. She looked him dead in the eye. _“The greatest accomplishment that man ever did was to sire you, Percival Graves. It was an honor to serve next to you, and it is an honor to be your friend. Now, I think your little girl and husband are waiting for you.”_

Percival ignored propriety and pulled her into a warm, hard embrace. When they pulled apart, she had a sweet smile on her face and kissed his cheek before turning him around to face Newt, who was holding Thea on his hip a few feet away. He looked worried, but there was a satisfied light to his eyes when he noticed Theseus step in and shoo the other aurors away to take charge of escorting Percival’s father off the property himself.

            He didn’t bother looking for his mother, knowing that it would just upset him further. He went to his new family and wrapped them up in his arms, burying his face in the side of Newt’s head, inhaling the woodsy scent that he always associated with safety. Thea pushed away from her Papa to reach for him, and he laughed, feeling everything inside him go molten with happiness. _This_ was his family; this was his life now. He didn’t have to deal with drunken belligerence or cold indifference. There was none of that. There was love and respect and new life.

            Percival gripped Newt’s hand as they moved into the courtyard, stepping outside for a breath of fresh air, and as he felt the tingle of a warming charm flow over him with the distinct flavor of his husband’s magic, he was utterly at peace.

 

*~*~*

**Author's Note:**

> I realized that the title I had was already used for another awesome story, and just in case, I went ahead and changed it. <3 Hopefully there's minimal confusion.


End file.
